Inboard mounted outboard motor watercraft



June 26, 1962 N. Dl FEDERICO ETAL 3,040,697 INBOARD MOUNTED OUTBOARD MOTOR WATERCRAFT Filed July 14, 1960 INVENTORS lV/Ck 0/ FEDEB/CO BYZAW2NE W- #02 A rrazfle Y 2 Sheets-Sheet l June. 26, 1962 N. DI FEDERICO ETAL 3,040,597

INBOARD MOUNTED OUTBOARD MOTOR WATERCRAFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14, 1960 VENTOR$ N/ BY EOEEICO Ween/cs M H02 4 TTOZA/E y Unit 3,040,697 INBOARD MOUNTED OUTBOARD MOTOR WATERCRAFT Nick Di Federico, 550 Acacia Ave., and Lawrence W. Horn, 300 Feller, both of Shafter, Calif. Filed July 14, 1960, Ser. No. 42,814 4 Claims. (Cl. 115-70) This invention relates to an inboard mounted outboard motor watercraft and has for an object to provide a watercraft wherein an outboard motor may be readily mounted inboard thereof, that is, in a position substantially intermediate the fore and aft ends of the watercraft.

A further object of this invention is to provide a watercraft having means for mounting inboard thereof an outboard motor, and having an inverted channel in the bottom surface of the watercraft leading from the motor position for substantially increasing the speed and the control of the watercraft over that possible without such channel being present.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a watercraft having a forward portion of the bottom surface sloping upwardly with the major portion of the bot tom surface substantially flat except for the inverted channel of decreasing depth leading from a motor well in termediate the forward end and midpoint of the craft, the channel extending completely to the aft end of the watercraft.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a watercraft which may be in the form of a surfboard, but which may also have its principles apply to a regular motor boat, a so-called run-about boat, instead of being a surfboard.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a watercraft the principle features of which include a well in an inboard position between the midpoint and forward end of the watercraft for receiving and mounting an outboard motor therethrough, with an inverted channel of gradually decreasing depth leading from this well to the rear end of the craft, and the craft may be either a surfboard of comparatively shallow depth, or a run-abou boat of substantial size, to which the same principles are applied, and having, as an additional feature, cable means running from an operators position to the motor mounted through the well for steering the motor, and thus steering the craft.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction vw'th the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the watercraft of this invention, in the form of a surfboard, showing an outboard motor mounted inboard thereof, with steering means leading to handle bars mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is atop plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal central section view of the surfboard, the motor being omitted.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of FIG. 3, but showing a slight modification with steering cables held directly by the operator and not connected to any handle bar or other steering means.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, showing a steering handle bar in operative position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail view on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

There is shown at 10 the watercraft of this invention here shown as being a surfboard of substantially solid construction, but it will be understood that the principles Patented June 26, 1962 of this invention can be applied to a runabout boat, or

other type of watercraft.

As shown, the surfboard has elongated sides 12, a rear or aft end 14 and a fore or front end 16. The top surface 18 of the surfboard is substantially flat, and the bottom surface 20 is likewise substantially flat and substantially parallel tothe top surface 18, but the forward portion of the bottom surface 20 slopes upwardly in a bevel shown at 23 to the fore end .16 of the watercraft or surfboard Extending vertically through the watercraft or surfboard 10 in a position intermediate the midpoint of the watercraft or surfboard and the fore end 16 is a well 22 and on the forward wall 24 of the well 22 there is secured an upstanding mounting panel "'26 on which any conventional type of outboard motor 28 may be mounted in a conventional manner by means of its supporting bracket or clamp 30 and fastening means, such as a bolt, 32.

The outboard motor 28 is conventionally mounted for pivotal movement on its bracket 30, so that by pivoting the motor 28 about the pivot on bracket 30, the motor may be turned to act as a rudder in the conventional manner, the usual motor handle 34 present being used for this purpose, if the operator should happen to be located so close to the motor.

However, it is desirable for the operator to be located substantially rearwardl-y of the motor position, and to facilitate this, a pair of cable pulleys 36 are secured to the top surface 18 of the watercraft 10 by conventional sleeves 3S, and through these sleeves 38 about the pulleys 36 there extends a pair of cables 40 secured at 42 to opposite sides of the motor 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cables 40, after extending from the motor 28 at 42 and around the pulleys 36 are of sufiicient but indefinite length and may terminate in loops 44 convenient to be held by an operator, either standing or sitting on the rear portion of the top surface 18 for remotely controlling the motor 28.

Extending along the bottom surface 20 of the watercraft 10, and intermediate the opposite sides 12 and parallel thereto, from the well 22 completely to the rear or aft end 14 of the boat, is a channel 46 of opposite parallel, vertical side walls 48 and a top Wall 50 sloping uniformly downwardly from the well end to the aft end.

In operation, an outboard motor of any conventional construction is mounted in the usual manner by securing its bracket 30 on the motor mounting 26, which is inboard of the watercraft 10. The motor extends through the channel and its propeller 53 directs water generally through the channel which, due to the decrease in depth thereof as the upper surface 50 slopes from the well end to the aft end, causes a planing or jet action, additionally assisted by the forward slope 23 of the forward portion of the bottom surface 20, thereby substantially increasing the speed of the surfboard over that possible when no channel is present, it having been found that the difference between the channel present and the channel absent is approximately 10 miles per hour increase in speed for the same amount of power of the motor.

In the preferred form, as shown in FIG. 4, the cable loops or handles 44 may be held in the same manner as the cables of water skis for steering the boat. However, mechanical steering means may be provided to which the cables 40 are secured. One formof mechanical steering means consists of a pair of handle bars 52 mounted on a handle bar post 54 whose lower end is pivoted by extending between the ears 56 of a rotatably mounted steering post 58 rotatably mounted in a bracket 63 secured at 64 to the upper surface 18 of the surfboard.

. A cross bar 62 serves both as the pivoting connection between-the post 54 and the upright ears 56, and as a securing'means for the ends 60 of the cables 40.

Obviously, a steering wheel may be substituted in place of the handle bars, or any other type of tiller may be mounted on the post 54.

The post 54 is biasedto upright position by means of a pair of oppositely extending springs 68 secured at one of their ends to the post 54 as at 70, just above its pivot connection, and secured at their opposite ends to suitable hooks 72 in the upper surface 18 of the surfboard 10.

In'this form of steering means, the operator will stand behind the handle bars 52 on the surfboard and steer the motor, and thus the craft, by approximately turning the handle bars 52 in either'direction as shown by the arrow 7 74 in FIG. 6. a

It is obvious that this form of the invention with the mechanical steering means may be readily converted to the form of the invention shown in FIG. 4, where handle loops are applied to the end of the cables, by merely making the pivot bar 62 readily removable :from the pivot connection between the post 54 and the ears 56, so that by removing the post 54 and the bar 62, the cables 40 may be grasped in the hands for steering, if desired.

A throttle cable 41, connected to a self-closing throttle on the motor, is either. hand held, or connected to the post 54 as shown in FIG. 6.

Although this invention has been describedin considc'rable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this having an inverted channel extending in its bottom sur-' face between its longitudinal sides from a point forward ofthe midpoint thereof, said structure having a well extending vertically therethrough at the forward end of said channel, motor mounting means at the forward side of said well secured to said structure for supporting an outboard motor extending through said Well, operator controllable means for pivoting said motor and 'fofsteering said structure, said operator controllable means comprising tether means aifixed to opposite sides of said outboard motor and extending rearwardly therefrom to an operator position rearwardly of said well, and operating steering means to which said tether means is secured, said steering means comprising a bar to which said tether means is secured, a rotatable mount on which said bar is mounted, a bracket secured on said floating structure for rotatably mounting said rotatable mount, "a handle secured to said rotatable mount and steering handle means secured on said handle post, said handle post being pivotally mounted on said rotatable bracket for fore and aft movement, and biasing means secured to said post biasing it to upright position,

2. The watercraft of claim 1, the forward end of said structure beyond said well having an upwardly and forwardly sloping bottom surface.

3. The watercraft of claim 1, said watercraft comprising a surfboard of generally rectangular outline in elevation, the forward portion of the bottom surface of said surfboard sloping upwardly toward the forward end of said surfboard.

4. The water craft of claim 1, said channel decreasing from a maximum depth at the forward end to a minimum depth at the rearward end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,801 Willrich Jan. 13, 1942 2,470,137 Brown May 17, 1949 2,918,892 Town Dec. 29, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 808,461 France Nov. 14, 1936 

